Singer/songwriter Lena Stone was preparing to head out on the road to perform the spring release of her EP ‘Princess’ live, but 2020 had other plans for the country artist.
Wanting fans to hear the EP the way she would have performed it live, she took matters into her own hands and released a “stripped down” version of the EP. Princess Acoustic EP, also produced by Dave Pittenger, is another prime example of why Stone is one of the most creative and hard working rising stars in Music City.
Lena sits down (virtually) with Celeb Secrets Country to talk about the motivation to release her EP during quarantine, what it was like filming the video, and what fans can expect once the quarantine is lifted.
Let us know if you’re digging Lena’s new acoustic EP by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @CS_Country. You can keep up with Lena by following her on Instagram at @lenastonemusic.
Photo by: Logen ChristopherCeleb Secrets Country: Tell us about your new version of your EP ‘Princess,’ what motivated you to release a ‘stripped’ version?
Lena Stone: “2020 hasn’t looked quite like we all thought it would look like and after releasing the EP I was really looking forward to playing it for people live; I had a bunch of shows scheduled for spring and fall that unfortunately couldn’t happen. I really wanted to recreate that live feel somehow and be able to give that to my fans and everyone who loved the original version of the EP. We were able to go into the files and digitally edit it and give it this new stripped version like what it would sound like if we had gotten to play it live.”
CSC: Aside from it being “stripped,” what are some differences that people can hear on the new versions of these songs?
LS: “The song that’s the most different and is the song that I’m most excited about on this new version is the song ‘Out Of My Hands’, it’s a big ballad on this project. On this original version it’s very piano based and very key based; we wrote the song on a piano, so we kind of kept that in the official audio. This version is all acoustic guitar and it transformed. I love both versions but I love how you get 2 sides of the same song with this new version.”
CSC: Did you ever think you’d be re-releasing the same record in a global pandemic?
LS: “No, I did not think that that would be something I would be doing. I wanted to keep making music and keep being creative and I’m not sure if the pandemic hadn’t happened if I would have thought to do this so it feels like a sliver lining.”
CSC: Take us back to when you were recording the original version of ‘Princess.’ What was the process like making the EP and how did you select the songs to be featured?
LS: “The process of doing the EP was so fun, this was my second EP and on this project I worked with a producer named Dave Pittenger who is incredible. It was really collaborative in a way that I hadn’t thought to work on music in the past, which was really fun. We got to be really intentional, that’s kind of my one word for this project: intention. I wanted to be really thoughtful about everything that was in there and everything that wasn’t in there. I wanted this project to feel like the moment of life I’m in which is growing up and dealing with some life stuff. There’s a love song on there and a breakup song but there’s also songs about going out with your girls and being in your 20’s and what it’s like to be feminist today and stuff like that. It felt like an intentional snapshot of where I’m at in my life right now.”
CSC: You filmed a video for the song Princess, are there any behind the scenes secrets you can tell us about filming it?
LS: “Oh my gosh, secrets. I don’t know if this is a secret but the horse’s name was Mina. So it got a little confusing on set with [the name] Lena and Mina the horse when they were trying to get her attention vs. get my attention, which is why we tend to be looking in the same place most of the time so it didn’t really matter which name they said because both of us kind of looked. It was so much fun filming the music video and I think you can tell in the final how much fun I was having.”
CSC: Everyone is a princess in their own way. What princess qualities do you think you have?
LS: “On the surface level, my favorite color is pink-one look at my Instagram will tell you that. Its my favorite color and I love all things girly and sparkly. But kind of what the song gets at, I think there’s an opportunity to be really empowered as a princess. I watched ‘Mulan’ with my little sister and she’s a badass; she’s so courageous and I love that.
CSC: We know the re-release of ‘Princess’ has kept you busy, but what else have you been doing to keep busy during quarantine?
LS: “I will admit I’ve been watching a lot of TV. I’ve been getting outside to go walking and running, and I got a bike for my birthday so I’ve been doing a lot of bike riding. I’ve been writing a lot; some over Zoom but also I’ve been writing by myself which has been really nice; it’s been a long time since I spent this much time sitting down and writing by myself and it’s been a nice way to reconnect to the way I started writing.”
CSC: Do you have any things in mind you’d like to do once quarantine is over?
LS: “Well, my first thing is I gotta go on a trip somewhere, I think that would be really great, and really just playing live shows again. I can’t wait to be able to do that again once it’s safe. And to hug people! I’m such a hugger and not being able to hug people, even if I’m seeing people in a socially distant way like outside in their yard 6 feet apart, I’m like, ‘I just want to hug you!'”.
CSC: We know you’re always writing new music — what can we expect to hear from you in the future? Anything you can tease?
LS: “Yeah, I’m really excited. I actually have written a bunch of songs for other artists that are coming out, which is really exciting as a songwriter. I love when something that I have written for someone is so special to them and becomes a part of their story-that’s the highest honor to me as a songwriter so I’m excited about that. I’ve been working on stuff for myself, too, to come out in the fall and I’m really excited to try something new. I feel like this year is the year to push the boundaries and try something different and push myself a little bit, so I’m excited about that for sure.”
Listen to Lena’s Princess (Acoustic) EP below:
